50 Centavos Silver Pattern

Paraguay's monetary system in 1889 was in acute disorder following the ruinous War of the Triple Alliance (1864–1870), which had killed an estimated 60–70% of the country's male population and left the national economy essentially prostrate for a generation. Pattern coinage from this period reflects repeated attempts to establish a stable decimal currency that kept stalling for lack of treasury funds and political continuity. This piece was never adopted for circulation.